So the question Is how well do these Minis handle In the snow.

Thanks,

JP

 

I'm told pretty well as long as you have snow tires. My 04 MINI is very bad if we have more than four inches of snow. We'll see how the Clubman goes this year.

 

are snow tires better than having cables on the front wheels?

 

I have not driven my Clubman in the snow yet and very few people probably have as they only came out in February.

As for Mini's i have talked to other owners of coops and most say there is not problem as long as you know the limitations of the car. It is relative though and if there is more snow than will fit under your car on the ground you will probably have a problem. Even 4x4's can get and do get stuck if the snow is deep enough.

Edit: There will probably be times when even snow tires need chains/cables, but for the most part "Snow Tires" will out preform All Season and Summer tires by leaps and bounds. I will not drive a car inthe winter with out "Snow Tires" anymore after seeing how well they worked on my 03 BMW 525iT wagon. The car is almost un-stopable with "Snow Tires".

 

Still waiting for our Clubman, but based on past experience with other cars I find putting on really good all-season tires helps tremendously. I've taken snowboarding road trips from Dayton, OH to Killington, VT in a 96 Civic with Michelins. We were hit with the lake effect white out snow storms in NY where other cars were spinning out on the hwy literally right in front of us. The Civic had no problem getting through the mess. Same tires on an 80'somethin Chevette (stop laughing). Road trips to upper Ohio and Michigan with no issues at all getting through the snow.

Then there's the Dunlop Winter Sport tires I had on my AWD WRX. The WRX ate a guardrail while wearing the snow tires. Granted it was black ice on a corner, but it turned me off to dedicated snow tires. For the amount of snow we get in the 'Nati I'll just stick with all seasons on the Clubman.

As schatzy62 said you need to know the limits of the car and the tires and don't push it.

 

Tires make all the difference.

Driving my 2003 MCS with all-seasons was the only time in my entire life that I ever got "stuck" in the snow. Granted my "all-seasons" were Pirelli PZero Neros which are basically a high-performance summer tread design with rubber designed not to harden bellow freezing. Driving with all-seasons was ok but there were multiple times that the car couldn't get out of a recently plowed-around parking space. I've lived in Massachusetts my whole life and never been stuck until driving performance-oriented tires in the MINI. I should have known, but I had always driven all-seasons on other cars and thought I'd try it. It probably would have been ok had the all-seasons been newer and less performance-oriented.

That being said, after switching to Michelin Pilot Alpines snow tires the MINI was transformed. Even in deep snow it is fairly good. If I had gone for Bridgestone Blizzaks I would probably even say it was a tank. I chose the Michelin Pilot Alpines due to their more performance nature rather than the Blizzaks which are better in deep-snow but louder and not as good in the dry. I could brake and handle in the snow while maintaining control and even perform some controlled drifts in turns. If you live any place where there is decent snowfall and love to drive your MINI rain, sleet or snow, I can't highly recommend winter tires enough. Although a decent set of all-seasons may be ok for you, the investment in snows that will last you a number of winters if you put them on and take them off at the right times is well worth it!

 

yes

Michelin Aplin is a must for classic tire size

With solded 163 I have use snow tire in 175/65 x15, Hankook W400 + chain (not alloy wheel with chain)
-With my 170 i don't use winter tire, it's suicide with snow... I use the car only for summer...

For the Clubman, i have buy Vredestein Snowtrac Xtrem 205/45 x17, i wait snow ans bad temperature I use only 1 car with winter tires.

 

looks like i better start looking for winter tires..

 

Thanks for the replies folks as I have the Clubman S with Contis 16" all seasons.So I should be ok up here on Long Island of course I have to pay attention to the road conditions. great Pics Lovethecorners & DEK.
Thanks,And Drive Safe
JP

 

Do most of you with a separate set of snow tires have dedicated wheels as well? If so, did you also purchase dedicated sensors for the winter tire/wheel sets? A tire/wheel set at Tire Rack would run about $700 which seems reasonable but the $200 for sensors is a bit much for me. It is probably necessary though to allow the wheel/tire/sensor set to balance.

 

I got Lewis just before they started with the tpms sensor nonsense. I have a dedicated set of 16" S-winders with 195/65R16 Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 snows on them. He goes anywhere anytime.

 

I just received my 16" Mich's winter tires from TireRack (season replacement for my 17" summer tires). Decided to get the TPMS as I dislike the constant dashboard "christmas tree light alerts". Worth the $200 to me.

 

Remember to not put on the tires too early or take them off too late. When I bought my Michelin Pilot Alpines I thought of them as an investment and in order to get the most life out of them it is important to minimize wear. Winter tires wear very quickly in warm weather so keep the all-seasons on through the first few dustings and frosty-mornings and only put the snows on when it is consitently near or below freezing. The same goes for the end of the season, don't wait for the temperature to warm up prior to taking the snows off. On snows the majority of the tread is a very soft rubber which allows it to stick to below-freezing roads without getting brittle but this rubber wears very quickly the higher the temperature.

 

On my previous 1st Generation MINIs, I had a set of dedicated steel wheels with snow tires.. Now these will not fit on my Clubman - perhaps they'll work with yours ngweibing - can't remember what generation your MINI is.

Anyhow, they don't sell any steel wheels right now for the Clubman and I really do not want to buy another set of nice wheels unless I love them - like I do Parkerton's MOMOs ... So, I will either go w/o snow tires this year...or possibly have the tires switched the standard Cooper Clubman wheels...

Last winter, where we live in Westchester County, NY, we only had a couple of times there was real snow worth thinking about...and since I have the all season Continentals 15 inchers, I'm hoping all will be fine with them.

 

The major plus on the side of those particular tires (I have them, too) is that they stay fairly supple in warmer weather, too, while not wearing as fast as super soft rubber like Blizzaks. If you run summer and winter rubber err on the side of caution and make sure you don't end up caught on a frosty morning road with summer tires that turn into hard hockey pucks below 40.

I always swap onto winter rubber when it gets below 40 and back to summer as soon as they get the roads patched up in mid spring (more sidewall on the winter ones).

 

I don't have my tires yet, but I just bought my wheels. I'm not getting TPMS for the winter wheels. I carry a tire pressure gauge with me and check pressure about once a week or so. I'm fine with that, and so is my wallet.

 

Does anyone know if winter sprays for tires work or are they just false advertising? I see them pop up everywhere. You spray them on the tires, let them dry and your grip improves but of course, they'll never be as good as tires with chains. It's for those who encounter light-to-moderate snow, not blizzards with snow reaching four inches.

 

Question for you guys that have been thru a winter with your Mini...

Do you have a Limited Slip Differential (LSD) or any other control package?

Thanks...

 

Here's a nice piece from Motoringfile: http://www.motoringfile.com/2008/01/...od-winter-car/ about MINIs in the snow and whether or not one needs snow tires, which of course are dependent upon a number of different things.

 

No snow yet (thank goodness!) but the mornings have been predictably chilly so the winter wheels/tires went on last weekend.

'08 CooperS Clubman with LSD
205/45R17 Blizzak LM-25 RFT on the R100 "Pace" wheels

My fair-weather rolling stock are the Dunlop SP Sport 01 RFT on R112 Challenge CrossSpoke wheels

The Blizzaks ride pretty good, but seem "squishy" compared to the Dunlops.

 

LSD, DSC, and snows. I <3 winter.

 

Thanks, misslendsey!

Is your LSD from the factory or did you put an after market one in like the Quaife? The reason I'm asking is that I want to know how the factory one stands up.

Thanks

 

MINIUSA has posted their "Conquering the worst case scenarios of winter driving" guide online. I apologize to TypeRex, Buckeye Clubman and anyone else who lives in Ohio, although it gave me a chuckle. If you pay close attention you'll see why:

Conquering the worst case scenarios of winter driving MINIUSA.com

 

my vote is 4 mich alpin and QUAIFE LSD, my jetta goes great, the mich even handle rain and warmer temps as well, and wear reasonably well

 

It's factory. Honestly I don't find myself in many sticky situations because I try to stay out of them - don't drive too fast when it's snowy, stay back from people who don't know how to drive, etc. The MINI is a little lighter on it's feet just because it is lighter, but I've never felt out of control.